What does indefinite mean?

Definitions for indefinite
ɪnˈdɛf ə nɪtin·def·i·nite

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word indefinite.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. indefiniteadjective

    vague or not clearly defined or stated

    "must you be so indefinite?"; "amorphous blots of color having vague and indefinite edges"; "he would not answer so indefinite a proposal"

  2. indefiniteadjective

    not decided or not known

    "were indefinite about their plans"; "plans are indefinite"

Wiktionary

  1. indefiniteadjective

    Without limit; forever, or until further notice; not definite.

  2. indefiniteadjective

    Vague or unclear.

  3. indefiniteadjective

    Undecided or uncertain.

  4. indefiniteadjective

    An integral without specified limits.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. INDEFINITEadjective

    Etymology: indefinitus, Latin; indefinit, Fr.

    Though a position should be wholly rejected, yet that negative is more pregnant of direction than an indefinite; as ashes are more generative than dust. Francis Bacon, Essays.

    Her advancement was left indefinite; but thus, that it should be as great as ever any former queen of England had. Francis Bacon.

    Tragedy and picture are more narrowly circumscribed by place and time than the epick poem: the time of this last is left indefinite. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

    Though it is not infinite, it may be indefinite; though it is not boundless in itself, it may be so to human comprehension. Spectator.

ChatGPT

  1. indefinite

    Indefinite generally refers to something that is not clearly expressed, defined, or identified. It can also mean something that is not exact, precise, or limited, or something that is lasting for an unknown or unstated length of time.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Indefiniteadjective

    not definite; not limited, defined, or specified; not explicit; not determined or fixed upon; not precise; uncertain; vague; confused; obscure; as, an indefinite time, plan, etc

  2. Indefiniteadjective

    having no determined or certain limits; large and unmeasured, though not infinite; unlimited; as indefinite space; the indefinite extension of a straight line

  3. Indefiniteadjective

    boundless; infinite

  4. Indefiniteadjective

    too numerous or variable to make a particular enumeration important; -- said of the parts of a flower, and the like. Also, indeterminate

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Indefinite

    in-def′i-nit, adj. not limited: not precise or certain: (logic) indeterminate in logical quantity.—adv. Indef′initely.—n. Indef′initeness.

How to pronounce indefinite?

How to say indefinite in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of indefinite in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of indefinite in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of indefinite in a Sentence

  1. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin:

    The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘necessary to preserve the life of the mother,’ the absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application.

  2. Mesias Tatamuez:

    We want... the government to respect the constitution, what we're asking for is to forget these constitutional amendments (to allow indefinite re-election) and a referendum on this issue and the country we want.

  3. Anthony Fauci:

    No vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection, inevitably, there will be a time when we'll have to give boosts. What we're doing literally on a weekly and monthly basis is following cohorts of patients to determine if, when and whom should get it. But right now at this moment, other than the immune compromised, we're not going to be giving boosters to people.

  4. Qasim Rashid:

    There have been immense atrocities and horrific violence committed against American Muslims because of 9/11. We saw things like the Patriot Act, the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay and the indefinite detention of people without due process of law, i knew I had to do something to create the kind of country I thought America should be ; one based on justice and compassion.

  5. Carol Sommerfelt:

    This definitely reflects on the technology used all those years ago and its ability to preserve the embryos for future use under an indefinite time frame.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

indefinite#10000#22231#100000

Translations for indefinite

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • indefinitCatalan, Valencian
  • neurčitýCzech
  • ylimalkainen, ääretön, epämääräinen, epävarma, määrittelemätönFinnish
  • indefinitoItalian
  • 不定Japanese
  • nenoteiktsLatvian
  • niewyraźny, nieoznaczona, nieograniczony, nieokreślonyPolish
  • неопределённый, бесконечный, неясный, безграничный, неограниченныйRussian
  • obestämd, oklarSwedish
  • காலவரையற்றTamil
  • безстроковийUkrainian
  • غیر معینہUrdu

Get even more translations for indefinite »

Translation

Find a translation for the indefinite definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"indefinite." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/indefinite>.

Discuss these indefinite definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for indefinite? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
    A collation
    B chin-wag
    C squint-eye
    D arbalist

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for indefinite: